Injustice and violation
When the novel begins, the reader is confronted right away with fairly heavy-handed imagery. Depictions of rape and violation set the tone for the novel. The rest of the novel is an unfolding of Abhor and Thivai's lives as they respond to lifelong wounds that were given to them as children. The various murders and misbehaviors that Abhor commits are part of this theme, because she is reacting to a childhood full of injustice and mistreatment. She makes herself a moral judge driven mad to the point of murder.
Meaninglessness
The novel has a thematic point to make about the meaninglessness of human life and suffering. If human life doesn't matter, that is a bummer, but if human suffering is essentially meaningless, then Thivai cannot handle the weight of that. He becomes suicidal considering such outcomes. He wants to be a a pirate or a terrorist. His nihilistic point of view forms a major portion of the prose, and his decisions to do anything are typically held in tension with feelings of extreme agony or ennui.
Aversion
The name "Abhor" is a hint about this theme. The moral response to meaninglessness is a thematic question in the novel, clearly. The aversion to injustice drives Abhor to kill people, and once imprisoned, she is confronted by her rapist, a painful encounter with her dark side. This reckoning is a demonstration of her aversion to her extreme suffering. She also has a strong sense of disgust. Her aversion to life is a reminder of the hopelessness Thivai feels.
